PARK RIDGE—Not letting up even for a moment, Park Ridge triplets Kelly McCullough, Karen McCullough Dell’Aglio, and Kathy McCullough-Widmer will be riding their bikes 83 miles in the next Pan-Mass Challenge, a bike-a-thon that raises money for the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, Aug. 6.
Every rider-raised dollar goes to Dana-Farber. This will be the 18th year that the sisters will be pedaling with 6,800 riders in the PMC. They have participated in this ride in memory of their mother, Ellen McCullough, who passed away in 2003 of leiomyosarcoma, a rare type of cancer.
The 2015 ride took on even more meaning for the sisters as Kathy was diagnosed with non-Hodgkins lymphoma. She told Pascack Press on June 29 that she’s finished her immunotherapy treatments and doing well.
The Pan-Mass Challenge is “the nation’s most successful athletic fundraising event,” having raised more than $831 million since 1980 in its mission: to win the battle against cancer “by funding lifesaving research to learn more about cancer and its causes and to develop increasingly effective treatment for this deadly disease.” The sisters need to raise $4,000 in order to participate in the PMC this year.
Kathy told Pascack Press, “I had three surgeries over the past year for three high-risk markers for breast cancer. I’ve recovered and I am stable. I still see my oncologist for non-Hodgkin’s twice a year, and I am also stable with that blood disorder.”
She said the PMC is amazing, and that she’s grateful for past community support.
“We have met so many people, so many new friends, along the. You ride with people who have brain tumors and who are fighting cancer themselves or are riding in honor of someone who had cancer. It’s such an amazing ride with 6,000 other riders — we all have the same goal and mission.”
She said, “It has been a challenging year to say the least, as I have had three surgeries, but I am stable now and back training for the ride.”
And she provided a letter from Dr. Laurie Glimcher, president and CEO of Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, who said “As Dana-Farber’s largest single contributor, accounting for 55 percent of the Jimmy Fund’s annual revenue, the PMC commitment touches every aspect of the Institute’s essential work.”
Glimcher said, “The funds you raise are of paramount importance in pushing the pace of progress across Dana-Farber’s labs and clinics to improve the lives of patients across the globe. Inspired and empowered by PMC riders like you, Dana-Farber is accelerating revolutionary science, delivering compassionate care, and mobilizing the exceptional expertise needed to change the course of cancer for everyone.”
She said PMC funding “allows the Institute’s best and brightest minds to prevent more cancers and relapses, treat more cancers successfully, sustain a robust slate of clinical trials, and spearhead comprehensive programs to address the physical, emotional, and spiritual needs of patients, families, and survivors.”
Kathy said past writeups in Pascack Press have been a great way of connecting with the community..
She said, “Any donation you could give would be greatly appreciated to help find a cure for cancer. The PMC donates 100 percent of every rider-raised dollar to Dana-Farber Cancer Institute through its Jimmy Fund. Please donate at pmc.org. Click on the donate button and enter Kathy McCullough-Widmer.” You can also send a check payable to PMC; Kathy McCullough Widmer, 2 Hall Court, Park Ridge NJ 07656.